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NEWS & LETTERS, October 2004Readers' ViewsSLAVERY AND THE INJUSTICE SYSTEM TODAY A number of the articles in the August-September N&L seemed to me to speak to each other in a powerful way. Robert Taliaferro’s “Slavery undergirds global economy” writes not only of the U.S. but of countries all over the world and shows that the question of the prison-industrial system is a complex one where acts of slavery exist in sometimes subtle ways. It was important that he mentioned Walmart and Taco Bell where the lack of unionization plays an important part in the slave-like working conditions. Then you read the “Prison Voices” published in the Readers’ Views section of the paper and you see actual letters from those undergoing the kind of degradation the prison-industrial complex is responsible for today. But it is the powerful, straightforward way Mary L. Johnson tells her life story in the Lead article in the issue on “ending police corruption” that proves to be the most powerful indictment of the society which we are confronting today and which is truly based on the kind of slavery all these articles are describing. --Women’s Liberationist, Chicago The Lead article in the August-September issue (“We can come together to end police corruption”) is on a subject people in Louisiana know well. There have been beatings and even an occasional killing conducted by area police here for years. I was beaten in 1998 over a speeding incident. When I went to court about it I found out about three other people who had been beaten over minor traffic incidents. They were all Black. I’m white and was heard last. I was threatened not to come back to traffic court again because the judge was tired of hearing the same thing over and over. Most of the victims are Black and almost all are poor and can’t fight back. I salute the effort of those brave people who stand up and challenge this system. That is what is needed all across this nation. --Supporter, Louisiana I teach history and had one of my students do some reading on the origins of the police department. He found that the origins of formal, paid, so-called professional police were in the first depression of modern capitalism when people were thrown off their farms and had to go to the city to find work. There was no unemployment insurance or food stamps. People just went hungry. When they were hungry enough they went into stores and took food off the shelves. The well-to-do called them mobs and hired thugs to protect themselves. The police departments we know today came about when they swore them in as a full-time force to keep down the people considered dangerous to the authorities on top. I want to tell the people whose voices were heard in the Lead story of the August-September N&L that many of us are with them in their struggle to end the injustice being done to them. At the same time, we know that the injustice will not be ended until the power of these wealthy classes is broken and we set up something new. It is only when we destroy their power that the prison doors will be opened up, just as has been done in every revolt against injustice since the French Revolution --History teacher, Illinois Robert Taliaferro’s article on slavery is timely. However, as good as the article was I thought its conclusion was deficient. It isn’t good industrial practice that we need but the abolition of industry as it exists. That means getting rid of labor-power as the ultimate commodity of commodities. That, too, is a form of slavery. --Hospital worker, California The article on the Chicago police brutality was really good. Every time I read about this stuff I get angry that the mainstream press doesn’t carry these stories. This IS the essential news, isn’t it? --Peace activist, Memphis THE BRITISH SCENE In the UK we have been defeated by capital which is using the Labour Party and the unions in a way that the conservatives could not. Individuals are being stretched on the rack. Stress and divorce is rising along with both suicide and violence. It is happening throughout much of the world, where the main political parties are opposed to any change unless it is for their benefit or the benefit of their backers. It is why there are so many cross-Atlantic links between the Republicans and Democrats there, and Labour and Conservatives here. --Pat Duffy, Britain FROM MARX TO MARXIST-HUMANISM In the article “From Marx to Marxist-Humanism” (August-September N&L), Raya Dunayevskaya asks “can man win freedom from under totalitarianism?” It’s a question that certainly speaks to this moment, as can be seen when you look at how many totalitarian regimes exist today. She gives us hope that freedom is possible. Thinking about how many discussions about state capitalism are going on today from Iran to China I am very glad this article was reprinted. Revolutionaries need to get their ideas out there so we can all learn from discussing them. --Iranian exile, San Francisco, CA The article by Raya Dunayevskaya was important for thinking about what it means to be a continuator of Marxist-Humanism, in the way she posed it at the end of her life when she developed further the distinction between “followers” and “continuators.” That’s what becomes of prime importance when a founder is gone. How to sum up the new for your own time as a concrete totality, not limited to the economic-political plane but in a way that doesn’t lose continuity with the philosophic moment is a question of the highest importance. Once I figured out the meaning of the graphic that accompanied the article, I thought it was a good way to show “one not two” -- Marx, not Engels; Lenin, not Trotsky; Raya Dunayevskaya, not CLR James. The Johnson-Forest Tendency agreed on the economics and politics of their age as state-capitalism, the new stage of labor revolt and Black liberation as independent struggle. James wanted to have the new revolutionary subject, spontaneity as against vanguard party and to break free from the bureaucracy. Yet without the total philosophy of Marxist-Humanism it ended in merely negative opposition and vulgar materialism. --Marxist-Humanist, Memphis ‘CHALLENGE OF ANTI-HUMANISM’ The essay by J. Skolnik on “The challenge of anti-humanism today” (August-September N&L) was very learned. I liked his point criticizing leftists who claim they can agree with a philosopher like Heidegger but differ with his politics. Don’t some Marxist-Humanists say that about Hegel, that his philosophy is tops but some of his political views need to be rejected? What needs to be proven is whether Hegel’s political views follow from his philosophy. The essay says if you follow out those philosophers it will lead to their political conclusions, but that needs to be proven also. Skolnik’s conclusion on the need to be grounded in Marx’s critique of political economy needs to be explained more. Dunayevskaya says when you catch the new economic stage of development, that is only a beginning. The essay has a bold claim that “only the transformation of economic relations of production will … guarantee that alterations in the modes of exchange and distribution … can be maintained.” But guarantees don’t reflect the dialectic. Dunayevskaya said Engels was superior to Marx in economics. You can be very brilliant in economics and miss the philosophic moment. --David Mizuno’Oto, Oakland, CA Skolnik’s essay attributes the desperation of the Left to a deficiency in theorizing alternatives to capitalism, and seems to imply a connection between that and the postmodern-Left claims of the death of the revolutionary subject. It’s an interesting claim but it’s never made clear what the connection is. --Franklin Dmitryev, Memphis I liked the essay by J. Skolnik. I am now looking up the references to get further informed. Meanwhile, please renew my subscription to N&L. --Reader, Belmont, CA “The challenge of anti-humanism” is an articulate engagement with many ideas in current discussion. How do the anti-humanists pose as an opposition to capitalism? By denying subjectivity. They de-construct capitalism this way, which includes the de-construction of subject as any universal. It is a pull to the lie of immediacy, as though there can be something like an unmediated human existence. --Ron Brokmeyer, Oakland, CA PARTNERS FOR PEACE ON TOUR I will be traveling to the U.S. in October together with two Palestinian women (Marianne Albina from Jerusalem and Hidaya Said Najmi from Jenin) as part of the Partners for Peace tour called “Jerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision.” Our schedule calls for us to begin in Washington DC Oct. 7-8. We then go to Irvine, CA Oct.9; to San Diego, CA Oct. 9-11; to Los Angeles/Orange County, CA Oct. 12-13; to San Francisco, CA Oct. 14-16; to Seattle, WA Oct. 16-18; to Chicago, IL Oct. 19-21; and back to Washington, DC Oct. 21-24. Those interested in getting information about the tour to any of these cities can call 202-863-2951 or partnersforpeace@yahoo.com or check it out at www.partnersforpeace.org. --Gila Svirsky, Jerusalem LABOR STRUGGLES TODAY In a recent issue of the LOS ANGELES TIMES, an important article by Mike Davis commemorated the Great Textile Strike that shut down the mills across the entire South on Sept. 1, 1934, and told the story of what has happened since. The image of Southern labor until that day had been that it was servile and unorganizable. But when the “lint heads” of the South went out they were quickly joined by the mill workers of New England to become the first industry-wide general strike of the 1930s. The point of the story was not the way a powerful union was forged despite all the beatings and shootings to suppress it, but how today, 70 years later, “the cotton spindles in Dixie have again stopped spinning.” It is the result, of course, of the global jobs catastrophe that followed in the wake of what is called “trade liberalization.” In this article Davis called it an “invisible tragedy” pointing out that it’s certainly not going to be discussed on Fox News or CNBC. I would certainly like to see it taken up fully in the pages of N&L. --Supporter, Los Angeles Declaring bankruptcy and opening up the next day under another name used to be a trick small store owners used. Now it’s an anti-labor tactic used by huge corporations. They declare bankruptcy, get before an anti-labor judge (and there are plenty appointed by Nixon, Reagan and the Bushes) who permits them to cut wages, pensions and other benefits as part of their financial “recovery.” It’s a maneuver corporate lawyers have been using increasingly, all with the support of the corporate-friendly Bush administration. --Labor Observer, Detroit I was glad to see the article on the Million Workers’ March in the August-September issue. But we can’t just cheerlead the movement. When you call a march you have to ask what is the meaning behind it. Some of the most important work here on labor was done by ILWU Local 10 during their strike last year. Now they are calling for the march in Washington, DC. Why not protest on the docks against off-shoring and computer replacement of workers? Mass marches are a success when they are the result of a prolonged movement and I don’t see that now with labor. --Unionized worker, California The Draft for Marxist-Humanist Perspectives 2004-2005 printed in the July issue was very well written, but the issue of immigration was not adequately addressed. Latino immigrant workers are among the more radical of U.S. workers and immigration is a major issue here. There have been many raids by the INS in cooperation with local police and sheriffs at immigrant workers’ sweatshops and other places where they congregate. At the same time, efforts to stop such raids and deportation are being organized here by the ACLU, the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund, and other such groups. The need for cheap immigrant labor is one of the contradictions of capital. At the same time, it threatens and lowers the standard of living of the American workers. Whether corporations move abroad for lower wages or import low-wage workers, the effect is the same to the U.S. workers. The pitting of immigrant workers against the U.S. workers (sometimes as scabs) has not been adequately addressed in N&L. --Asian American, Los Angeles VOICES OF REASON FROM WITHIN THE WALLS I’d like to tell you something about the conditions here. The diet here is a disaster! The taxpayers should be outraged because if our diet improved, the healthcare costs would decrease. Many women are anemic since our diet lacks iron. You get an iron supplement for a little while. Just before the prescription runs out, they test you and say you’re OK. Of course it’s better, but then they stop the supplements. It creates a vicious cycle. There are no healthy options. We don’t get enough protein, fruits or vegetables. It’s all carbs, fat, starch and processed meats. The diet is very bad for diabetics since 90% of the food served converts to sugar. Improper diet results in numerous health care problems, not just diabetes but high blood pressure, high cholesterol, iron deficiency, osteoporosis, hair loss and many other illnesses. The doctor on our yard is quick to shame us. He frequently states that we’re lucky to be getting any treatment at all, that it costs too much. We are humans and this is a form of cruel and unusual treatment. --Woman prisoner, Chowchilla, CA Thank you for my subscription. I have read enough material to understand that my situation is just a small piece of what this corrupt system does and that freedom from here is not freedom from the capitalist system. I was very interested in the article in the August-September issue about police abuse which was part of a Forum on “What is next for the movement against police torture and wrongful convictions” held in Chicago. Do you have any information on forums held on the West Coast? I am familiar with police abuse, as my uncle was charged with shooting at officers out of a moving vehicle. As usual, no gun was found or any gun residue or drugs and he didn’t have any violent or criminal history. What happened to him nevertheless is a tragedy for many people who have been labeled lower class, minority, and poor, all of which are class distinctions in capitalist society. When any of us goes to a jury, it is always made up of another class’s peers. To be properly represented legally in this society you have to be financially well off. I am looking forward to reading N&L to better understand the capitalist system and find out more about your philosophy of revolution. I would also like to know if there is any way I might be able to get a copy of the ROSA LUXEMBURG READER since I saw a short documentary on her a long time ago and am very interested in her work. --Prisoner, Susanville, CA I read your paper cover to cover and feel as if my mind is blossoming like a beautiful flower as I learn what is really going on in the world. Why don’t we see any of this type of writing in the national papers? It’s so clear that our government doesn’t care about any of us as a people. It’s all about money and power. Some of us see ourselves as a think-tank and would like to start a small version of N&L to print the truth as we know it about prison life and about crime. We’re also trying to start a book program so we can learn and share ideas. Please keep on fighting for freedom. --Prisoner, Ontario, Oregon DEMOCRATIC CAPITALISM? I recently came across an obvious oxymoron: democratic capitalism. Capitalism can no more be democratic than democracy can be capitalist. It’s another destruction of the true meaning of words. The rulers are good at this. Something else I was recently reading referred to the politicians in Washington as the “criminally insane” in describing the ruthlessness of capitalism and its exploitative destruction of everything it touches. I think it’s true they are all mentally ill in the sense of any concepts of basic morals and ethics and what is truly human, or should be. --Longtime socialist, Wisconsin Dubya (or Junior, as we affectionately refer to the commander-in-chief here in Michigan) has got it wrong again. He isn’t the “war” president. He’s the “war-bucks” president. --Ex-Postal Worker, Michigan A mandatory draft for young men and women (ages 18 to 26) has been in the works for some time. Information about it is circulating through the internet. Whether or not one is for or against a military draft I strongly believe the bill should be debated openly, not pushed through as a stealth bill, which is what seems to be happening. The pending legislation in the House and Senate (companion bills: S89 and HR 163) would time the program’s initiation so the draft could begin as early as Spring 2005, just after the 2004 presidential election. It appears to many that the administration is quietly trying to get the bills passed now, while the public’s attention is on the elections. Among other things the plan eliminates higher education as a shelter and includes women. Also crossing into Canada has already been made very difficult. This is something I feel we have to be concerned about no matter who we think is going to win the White House. --Worried peace activist, Philadelphia
--George Wilfrid Smith Jr., Chicago MICHAEL MOORE’S MOVIES As someone who has been following Michael Moore’s work for some time, I appreciated the movie review of his "Fahrenheit 9/11" in the August-September issue. The reviewer caught very well the way in which Moore “portrayed in vivid colors how America’s imperialist wars are fought abroad by first winning its class and race wars back home.” Yet I felt that to do full justice to "Fahrenheit 9/11" even more should be said on the important way Moore depicted African Americans in his film. It was not one or two incidents but the way they were depicted through the whole movie that told a powerful story, beginning with the opening scenes where actual footage shows the long line of Black members of Congress begging the Senate to vote against approving the Supreme Court’s decision to “elect” Bush president in 2000. I would like to write something for N&L on the way reviewers all missed the importance of what Moore did on the question of the Black welfare mother who had been forced back to work in his film "Bowling for Columbine." To my mind, it is a serious failure for reviewers not to single out Moore’s important appreciation of the Black experience in all his films. --Philosophy teacher, Illinois I went to a vigil at Overton Park here for all those who died on 9/11/01 and after -- both U.S. and Iraqi. I brought my sign: “No to War! No to Terrorism! Yes to the New Human Society” and a Black man who told us he was 37 years old, saw the sign, stopped dead in his tracks, and said: “Yes! Yes! That’s it, exactly!” He joined the vigil for the next two hours and talked about the ideas. He saw Michael Moore’s "Fahrenheit 9/11" three times in one week and has been talking to everyone about it ever since. --Feminist anti-war activist, Memphis A lot of folks are looking forward with great interest to Michael Moore’s next documentary which reportedly will be on the so-called health-care industry. But evidently nobody is more interested than the big-business health insurance corporations and drug manufacturers who are so worried that they have already warned their employees and sales representatives to be on the lookout for a fat man wearing a baseball cap and carrying a camera and not to talk to any such person they might spot. The reported tentative title for the film is “Sicko” and Moore says he got the idea for it when he was making his TV show “The Awful Truth.” He is quoted as saying, “We had this guy who was going to die because his HMO wouldn’t pay for his transplant so we went with him and conducted a funeral rehearsal. The HMO was so ashamed that they paid for the transplant and he lives to this day.” However he got the idea, there are lots of people who would like to see a Moore film take on the murderous oxymoron-named “health-care” business. There are certainly thousands hoping his "Fahrenheit 9/11" will bear some fruit on Nov. 2. --Moviegoer, Illinois |
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